CAREER: Developing Novel Methods and Tools for Engineering Education Researchers

Reimagining Approach to Theories: Developing a Guiding Framework to Help Engineering Educators Researchers Occupy Theorizing Spaces

Theories are a crucial part of research projects; they help drive the questions we ask, the methods we use, and the conclusions we draw. They provide a roadmap to guide the data analysis and interpretation and position researchers within a body of existing knowledge. Traditional psychological theories often take a generalized approach to human motivation, overlooking the specificities of engineering contexts. This CAREER project makes theoretical innovations by developing a guiding framework to help engineering researchers reimagine psychological theories that were not expressly designed for all engineering students. The framework offers methodological innovations by providing processes to guide researchers in analyzing, developing, and refining psychological theories to effectively incorporate engineering ways of knowing. The framework will help develop new knowledge based on a more robust understanding of engineering students in higher education. The framework developed through this project offers methodological innovations by providing structured processes to guide researchers in critically analyzing, developing, and refining psychological theories to effectively incorporate engineering ways of knowing.

This project will provide a crucial resource for engineering education researchers to develop more accurate and contextually relevant theories that can lead to better-informed and more effective interventions across the educational spectrum, which can be adopted across STEM disciplines. By addressing the gaps in how psychological theories account for lived experiences, this project contributes to a larger value-driven agenda, challenging the status quo in academic theory, advocating for a more student-centered educational experience. Achievement Goal Theory (AGT) will be used as a case study to help develop and refine the processes needed to create the reimagined guiding framework.

This project will answer the following research questions:

RQ1. When using a grounded theory approach to reimagine AGT, what context-specific achievement goals emerge among engineering students?

RQ2a. To what extent do the prominent themes identified in RQ1 effectively capture the varied achievement goals among engineering students?

RQ2b. What are the distinct goal profiles of engineering students, and what are the implications of these profiles for their academic outcomes, engineering identity, and engagement?

The research outcomes for this project include

• a responsive understanding of engineering students’ achievement goal pursuits and their impact on academic outcomes and
• a responsive survey instrument manual with comprehensive evidence of validity that provides clear instructions on how to use the scale, guided by a commitment to avoiding deficit narratives. 

A grounded theory approach will help uncover the salient achievement goals specific to the lived experiences of engineering students. Qualitative inquiry will help elucidate the nuances and unique perspectives that shape the motivational pursuits of students within the engineering context. Twenty to forty engineering students will be recruited to participate in the interviews. Building on the insights from RQ1, a contextually relevant survey instrument will be developed (RQ2). This instrument will be designed through a focused approach, which is based on the salient achievement goals identified in Phase 1. Their shared experiences will inform the development of a responsive survey scale (RQ2a), which will be validated with 1,600 engineering undergraduate students via factor analysis. Validity evidence will be gathered to examine how these achievement goals influence academic outcomes through latent profile analysis (RQ2b). Collectively, these research questions will support the development of a reimagined guiding framework.

The education outcomes are

This project aligns with NSF’s commitment to enhancing engineering education by addressing gaps in our theoretical understanding of all engineering students and providing actionable processes that can transform educational practices and policies.